MLS Features: 2013 playoff predictions: Conference final round

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Welcome back to the final installment
of TSN's Major League Soccer postseason predictions.

The semifinals were nothing short of outstanding as the resilient Houston
Dynamo pulled some old tricks out of their bag to knock off Red Bull New York,
and Sporting Kansas City used its home field advantage to dispatch New
England.

Real Salt Lake exorcised some past demons as they eliminated the two-time
defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy, while the Portland Timbers continued
their romp through the playoffs after beating Seattle Sounders FC.

Let's get after it.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(2) Real Salt Lake vs. (1) Portland Timbers

The Portland Timbers continue to be the breakout story of the season in Major
League Soccer as first-year head coach Caleb Porter's team earned a 2-1
victory over Seattle at CenturyLink Field in the first leg of their semifinal
tie.

In Thursday's second leg, Portland showed its dominance at home as the club
opened up a 3-0 and 5-1 aggregate lead by the hour-mark. Seattle showed some
fight as it scored twice in less than two minutes to make it somewhat
interesting, but Portland was able to see out the result.

Considering the trying season the Timbers endured last term, it's remarkable
to see their turnaround just one season later. One year ago, Portland got off
to a terrible start and fired then-head coach John Spencer. They finished in
ninth place in the West and began their quest to change the culture of the
club.

Which they achieved with one signing -- Porter.

Under the former Akron coach, the Timbers were free to play the type of
attractive attacking soccer that allowed them to thrive. The team went on an
unprecedented 15-match unbeaten streak during the regular season and lost just
five times.

As successful a season as the Timbers have had, Real Salt Lake represents a
unique challenge for Porter's team.

RSL reached the conference final round after taking care of business against
the Galaxy, overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a 2-0 victory at Rio
Tinto Stadium.

Many thought RSL would struggle some this year after offseason trades which
saw the departure of Fabian Espindola, Jamison Olave and Will Johnson, but the
team's young players have stepped up, leading the club to another outstanding
season.

Both clubs are about even in just about every position on the field. Up top
you see Costa Rica international Alvaro Saborio and Robbie Findley for RSL,
while Portland boasts Ryan Johnson and club talisman Darlington Nagbe, who can
be deployed as a forward or midfielder.

In the midfield, RSL plays its trademark diamond formation with star playmaker
Javier Morales at the top and U.S. international Kyle Beckerman in the holding
role.

That pair could be one -- if not the best -- in the league, but Portland's
midfield is right there as Nagbe is deployed out wide with Argentine superstar
Diego Valeri in the attacking role.

Defensively, RSL's back four of Chris Schuler, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers and
Tony Beltran are excellent, but Portland can match it with the "wall of
Gambia" -- Pah Moudou Kah and Mamadou Danso in central defense, while Michael
Harrington and Jack Jewsbury man the wings.

In goal, Portland has the probable goalkeeper of the year in Donovan Ricketts,
who has had an outstanding season, while RSL's Nick Rimando is always one of
the best in the league.

In three regular-season meetings, the clubs drew twice and RSL earned a 4-2
win at home.

When two teams are this evenly matched, it's difficult to find a clear-cut
winner, but the difference may come on a mistake, or two.

PORTLAND 3, REAL SALT LAKE 2

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(2) Sporting Kansas City vs. (4) Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo continue to astonish onlookers in the playoffs. After a
middle-of-the-road regular season in which they went through spells of
horrible form, they somehow manage to pull it together in the postseason.

They easily dispatched a disjointed Montreal Impact side at home by a 3-0
score in the knockout round before meeting the top-seeded New York Red Bulls
in the semifinal round.

New York raced out to a quick 2-0 lead at BBVA Compass Stadium in the first
leg, but the Dynamo battled back with two goals in the second half to earn a
2-2 draw heading to Red Bull Arena for Wednesday's return leg.

With the home crowd behind them, New York grabbed the lead in the 23rd minute
on Wednesday as Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall spilled a Lloyd Sam cross and
Bradley Wright-Phillips was there to tap it home for the 3-2 aggregate
lead.

But the Red Bulls gave it back 12 minutes later when defender Ibarhim Sekagya
misplaced a pass which went straight to Houston's Brad Davis in the penalty
area and he fired it home from 12 yards out.

It remained deadlocked at 1-1, 3-3 on aggregate into the second period of
extra time, where substitute Omar Cummings gave the Dynamo the lead in
dramatic fashion as he got his boot to a loose ball at the near post and
squeezed it past Red Bull goalkeeper Luis Robles, sending the club to its
third straight conference finals.

Sporting fell behind to a youthful New England Revolution side after a 2-1
first-leg defeat at Gillette Stadium, but rebounded nicely in front of their
home fans at Sporting Park.

Aurelien Collin's 41st minute goal put the sides level on aggregate at 2-2,
but Dimitry Imbongo gave the Revs the lead again 20 minutes from time.

Sporting, however, equalized nine minutes later through Seth Sinovic and
scored the winner in the second period of extra time with Claudio Bieler
finding the net in the 113th minute.

If Bieler, who played sparingly in the final months of the regular season,
finds his form in the postseason, Sporting has the edge up top with Bieler,
Dom Dwyer, Teal Bunbury and C.J. Sapong.

In midfield, the clubs are fairly even as each side has an All-Star U.S.
international -- Graham Zusi for Sporting and Davis for Houston -- both of
whom are capable of delivering pin-point crosses.

Defensively, Houston has been strong at the back with Corey Ashe, Kofi
Sarkodie, Bobby Boswell and Warren Creavalle or Eric Brunner. The Dynamo
specialize in clearing crosses in the air, so Sporting will have to look for a
different way to get in behind.

Sporting boasts one of the best central defense pairings in the league with
Collin and American international Matt Besler and the club also has the edge
over Houston in goal with Jimmy Nielsen a tad superior to Hall.

The clubs met three times during the regular season with Sporting earning a
1-0 win at BBVA Compass Stadium in May to go with 0-0 and 1-1 draws.

Houston, however, may have a slight mental edge in this series having knocked
Sporting out of the postseason in each of the past two seasons -- and that may
be enough to get the Dynamo to the MLS Cup final for the third straight
season.

HOUSTON 4, SPORTING KANSAS CITY 3

Whatever happens, the conference finals are sure to be outstanding spectacles.